Which pitchers can you pluck off the waiver wire as a short-term fix in Week 14? Our Al Melchior breaks down the upcoming matchups for some lesser-owned starters.

It will soon be last call to set your Fantasy rotations before the
majors' 30 managers hit the "Reset" button on their own rotations just
after the All-Star break.

While many of your favorite deep-league options will get a rest during
the short week after the break, there are several familiar names who are
avaialble to use in Fantasy Week 14 (July 2-8). Daisuke Matsuzaka, Chris Young, Josh Tomlin and Josh Collmenter are
all pitchers who have had some appeal in standard mixed leagues in
recent seasons, but none is currently owned in as many as 30 percent of
the leagues on CBSSports.com. Each however, has an opportunity to help
owners in a much larger share of leagues down the road, and in some
cases, as soon as next week. For those, like Matsuzaka, who have a
challenging matchup in their immedidate future, it's still worth
considering a waiver move now, as long as you have a reserve spot
available.

Below are some of more enticing options for a pickup and possibly a
start outside of standard mixed leagues in Week 14. All stats are
current for games through Wednesday, June 27.

Deeper league two-start options

Daisuke Matsuzaka, Red SoxProjected matchups:
@OAK (Parker), NYY (Hughes)2012 stats: 0-2, 4.91 ERA, 1.14
WHIP, 20 KsOwnership/activation rates: 28/16Outlook:
After winding up with a 6.06 ERA after starts against the Nationals,
Cubs and Marlins, there was little reason for owners outside of the
deepest leagues to take an interest in Matsuzaka. However, he emerged
from those first three outings with a 1.10 WHIP, and then he shut down
the Blue Jays on Tuesday, allowing seven baserunners in 5 2/3 innings,
but only letting one of them score. Most surprising about Dice-K's
performance so far has been his sharp control. His track record suggests
that he won't continue to throw 65 percent of his pitches for strikes,
but even with some dropoff, he should be worth using in deeper mixed
leagues. With an upcoming start against the Yankees, only AL-only owners
should keep Matsuzaka active but at least some mixed league owners
should pick him up and stash him for better weeks ahead.

Andrew Cashner, PadresProjected matchups: @ARI
(Bauer), CIN (Cueto)2012 stats: 3-3, 3.81 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 34
KsOwnership/activation rates: 26/13Outlook: If
Cashner lives up to the hype, he won't be merely a deeper league option
for long. In fact, he could be worth stashing in standard mixed leagues
if you have some deadwood to clear on your bench. Like teammate Edinson Volquez, Cashner has some control issues, but he's capable of
helping out with strikeouts. Between his ground ball tendencies and
favorable home park, home runs shouldn't hinder Cashner much. Though his
inexperience as a major league starter makes him a risk, now is the time
to roster Cashner. He could even have a decent Week 14, facing a Reds
team that is far less potent on the road than at home.

Marco Estrada, BrewersProjected matchups: MIA
(Zambrano), @HOU (Rodriguez)2012 stats: 0-3, 4.50 ERA, 1.12
WHIP, 46 KsOwnership/activation rates: 14/8Outlook:
The big gap between Estrada's low WHIP and high ERA is indicative of
both his strong command and chronic gopheritis. He has been hitting the
strike zone consistently this year, and the resulting lack of contact
and paucity of walks has been a boon to his WHIP. On the other hand,
Estrada has yielded an alarming 2.1 homers per nine innings. He should
get away with his strong flyball tendencies against the floundering
Marlins, and a good start at Houston is not out of the question either.
Estrada is not only a must start for NL-only owners this coming week,
but he's a deeper mixed league option as well.

Joe Kelly, CardinalsProjected matchups: COL
(Francis), MIA (Sanchez)2012 stats: 1-0, 3.38 ERA, 1.50 WHIP,
11 KsOwnership/activation rates: 7/4Outlook:
Despite an arsenal that features a mid-90s fastball, Kelly is not a
pitcher to pick up if all you need are Ks. However, the slim righty had
dramatically improved his control at Triple-A this season, and he has
carried those gains over into his first stint in the majors. There's
nothing in his skill profile that screams "standard mixed league
starter," but more owners in deeper mixed and NL-only leagues should be
making room for him. Consider this: Kelly's peripheral stats are not
markedly different from Jose Quintana's,
yet the White Sox rookie is owned in nearly five times as many leagues.
At the very least, pick up Kelly as a deeper mixed league two-start
option, as he has great matchups at home against the Rockies and Marlins.

Everett Teaford, RoyalsProjected matchups: @TOR
(Romero), @DET (Scherzer)2012 stats: 0-1, 5.06 ERA, 1.56
WHIP, 9 KsOwnership/activation rates: 1/0Outlook:
Teaford has gotten off to a poor start in his first four appearances
with the Royals this year, but owners should expect something a little
closer to the solid stats (3.27 ERA, 1.14 WHIP) he posted in 2011. He is
simply too good at inducing grounders and commanding the strike zone to
keep a stat line as ugly as the one he currently owns. In future weeks,
the southpaw could have some appeal for deeper mixed league owners, but
with a pair of solid lineups on his docket in Week 14, Teaford is
strictly an AL-only option -- albeit a solid one -- for now.

Waiver wire targets

Franklin Morales, Red SoxProjected matchups:
@OAK (Griffin)2012 stats: 1-1, 3.12 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 37 KsOwnership/activation
rates: 22/17Outlook: Morales' ability to get whiffs and
Ks didn't diminish in his first two turns in the Boston rotation; in
fact, he raised both rates in his starts against the Cubs and Braves.
His next opponent, the A's, are even more prone to striking out than
either of his previous foes. Walks haven't been an issue either, as he
has thrown 66 percent of his pitches for strikes over his 34 2/3
innings. Maybe these are all small-sample artifacts, but with Oakland's
once-hot offense slowing down, it looks like another good week to start
Morales outside of standard mixed leagues.

Chris Young, MetsProjected matchups: PHI
(Kendrick)2012 stats: 1-1, 3.42 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 12 KsOwnership/activation
rates: 17/9Outlook: Because Young is so prone to
flyballs, the rule of thumb with him is to avoid him at all costs when
facing a power-hitting lineup or starting in a home run park. His
matchup against the Phillies is a borderline case, so Young should
probably sit outside of NL-only leagues in Week 14. However, because of
the potential for great starts in many of his matchups, his ownership
rate should be higher than it currently is. If you're avoiding Young
because of his high WHIP, you may be unneccesarily missing out on a
superior alternative to someone on your deeper league roster. Because he
is a popup machine, Young's career BABIP is a puny .254, but so far this
year, he is burdened with a .321 mark. It's practically unthinkable that
opposing hitters will continue to bat .462 on grounders against him
going forward.

Travis Blackley, AthleticsProjected matchups:
SEA (Vargas)2012 stats: 1-2, 3.69 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 28 KsOwnership/activation
rates: 9/6Outlook: After years of mediocrity and
obscurity, it's hard to buy into Blackley's success as a rotation
fill-in. There's nothing that stands out in his skill profile that would
make you think he can sustain this level of success, but he is just good
enough at missing bats and avoiding hard contact to succeed against
weaker lineups. Since becoming a starter, the schedule has worked in his
favor as he has faced the Twins, Padres, Dodgers and Mariners, and he
posted good starts against all of them. Blackley has also been clobbered
by the Rangers and Diamondbacks. The good news for Blackley's owners is
that he gets the M's again next week, and their offense has slowed down
considerably in the month of June. He's a must-start in AL-only leagues
for the coming scoring period, but owners have to watch his upcoming
matchups closely.

Josh Tomlin, IndiansProjected matchups: TB
(Hellickson)2012 stats: 3-5, 5.70 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 41 KsOwnership/activation
rates: 9/4Outlook: As with Estrada, Tomlin can be a boon
for both WHIP and ERA, as long as he can avoid the long ball. That's a
very big "if," as Tomlin has already allowed 11 dingers in just 66 1/3
innings. To be fair, though, he has allowed five of those just in the
past two weeks, having given up three homers at Yankee Stadium and two
at Great American Ball Park. Over his career, Tomlin has been a far
better pitcher at home, and especially against a middling power team
like the Rays, he should be a safe start in Week 14 in AL-only leagues
and the deepest mixed league formats.

Josh Collmenter, DiamondbacksProjected matchups:
LAD (Kershaw)2012 stats: 0-2, 4.80 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 41 KsOwnership/activation
rates: 6/2Outlook: With wild swings between hot and cold
streaks, Collmenter was an absolute enigma as a rookie. He hasn't been
any easier to figure out this season. After getting clobbered in the
rotation to start the year, he has excelled as a reliever, getting more
swinging strikes and grounders. Since his demotion to the bullpen,
Collmenter has been throwing more cutters and getting more breaking
action on them, but he's also faced a soft schedule. It's not clear
which factor has played the bigger role in Collmenter's latest
resurgence, but now that he is back in the rotation, he is worth a try
at least for the coming week. The Dodgers have the majors' lowest
batting average and Isolated Power for the month of June, and that
should help Collmenter help you, even in deeper mixed leagues.

Vulnerable rotation spots

Astros: With Bud Norris (knee)
coming off the DL on Friday, the Astros will expand their rotation to a
six-man unit, and they will keep it that way until the All-Star break.
The team has not yet decided what will happen once the second half
begins, but owners of Dallas Keuchel
and Jordan Lyles should be prepared to
find a replacement by the time Week 15 (July 9-15) rolls around.

Royals: The Kansas City Star reports that Luis Mendoza and Jonathan Sanchez
could be in danger of losing their rotation spots if they don't improve
their performance. Doug Davis would
probably be the first to get the call from Triple-A, though prospects Jake Odorizzi and Mike Montgomery
could also get some consideration. While owners of Mendoza and Sanchez
may need to find other alternatives, Odorizzi and Montgomery in
particular could be intriguing pickups.

Yankees: Freddy Garcia and Adam Warren will get the first shots to replaced the injured CC Sabathia (groin) and Andy Pettitte
(ankle) in the Yankees' suddenly-depleted rotation. While Sabathia could
return after the All-Star break, Pettitte will need a longer-term
replacement, and it won't necessarily be either Garcia or Warren. David Phelps could be recalled from the minors to fill the vacancy,
or the team could pursue an option on the trade market. For now, none of
the internal options are worth owning outside of AL-only leagues.

Al Melchior has been playing Fantasy Baseball since 1994, getting his start in the Southern Maryland Anthropomorphic Baseball League (SMABL). He has been writing about Fantasy Baseball since 2000, getting...
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